Of Scions and Seeq
by SurferSquid
Summary: Terra and Qrrog both hoped they'd never have to deal with their families again. Fate would have it otherwise. Now Clan Excelsior has found itself on its strangest adventure yet: trying to figure out how to return to Ivalice from Terra's home world.
1. Chapter 1

_I don't know much about that new FFXII game, so I apologize if anything in here clashes with what's in that game. Enjoy anyway!_

Sometimes, life catches you by surprise. Sometimes, it won't exactly be a fun surprise.

But as long as you don't give up, things will work out in the end.

Here's a case in point.

One fine Emberleaf morning, my husband and I were in the kitchen of our nice, cozy island fortress, helping with dishes. Even though we're the Pirate King and Queen, we don't consider ourselves above chores. At any rate, dishes aren't too much trouble at all when you're with your best friend. And okay, magick helps too.

"I'm so excited for the Harvest Festival!" I said as I plunged a few plates into the swirling vortex of soap and hot water I had ensorcelled in the sink. While I waited for the crumbs on them to soften, I reached for a bowl and began attacking it with a scrubber. "Can we really see what the Festival's like in Rabanastre this year?"

"Aye, definitely!" Qrrog said as I handed him the bowl and he dried it with a towel before nesting it on a stack of similar bowls. "I hear autumn's a nice time to visit Rabanastre. Definitely not as hot then."

"Yeah, Rabanastre in the summer was awful," I said with a laugh as I pulled the plates out of the water and scrubbed. "Never again. Er, unless Saskia gets us a mission there."

Qrrog chuckled. "May she never be that cruel."

"Cap'n!" A bangaa ducked her head into the kitchen. "We got guests!" She looked concerned, and I paused in my washing to see what was up.

Qrrog turned to her. "Who?" he asked. We weren't expecting any visitors.

The bangaa swallowed hard. "Horgan the Devourer and Black-Tide Iretha."

My husband's eyes widened and he fumbled with the silverware in his claws, dropping several forks and knives to the floor with a loud clang. "What?!" he choked. "Go—tell 'em I'll be right out to greet 'em."

Qrrog's reaction had me concerned. As the bangaa left, I asked, "Who are they?"

His shoulders sagged as he turned to me and said, "Me parents."

I winced. "That bad, huh?" I asked. Qrrog and I have been married for some years now, but we've never talked to each other much about our childhood. And it seems it's been something easy to forget what with so much clan adventuring and pirate-ruling.

But now it appeared to have come back for Qrrog with a vengeance.

Grimacing, he picked the silverware up off the floor and put it back in the sink. "They're supposed to be in prison fer life," he said as he rinsed the forks and knives in my dishwashing spell.

"Yeah, that's not good," I said. I put a hand on his shoulder. "So let's make them leave. They shouldn't have showed up without asking anyway."

"Well, I—" He licked his lips and looked away. "They are family, love… maybe they've changed."

"I'm not sure breaking out of prison is a good sign," I said, folding my arms.

Qrrog chuckled. "That doesn't make a pirate bad, just smart." His smile faded. "Still, you oughtta stay here while I see what they want. Maybe they just wanna see their boy again… maybe make amends," he added under his breath.

As he turned to leave, I caught his arm. "No, let me come with you, please," I said. "You look scared to death of them. I won't let you face them alone."

For a long moment, he searched my face. "I don't want you gettin' involved in this," he said. "I don't know if I can trust 'em."

"I don't want you getting hurt," I said. "I know you haven't told me much about your past, but if they have you this scared, I'm going to protect you with everything I've got. Whether that just means moral support or—or magick, if it comes to that." I held up my hand, congealing shimmering mist around it to remind my husband of what I was capable of. I was not afraid to fight by his side.

"I appreciate that, love," Qrrog said, "but I just couldn't stand to see 'em be mean to you on top of everything else. This ain't a clan mission—"

"Oye, Qrroggie, there you are, lad!" a deep, throaty female voice bellowed.

Qrrog stiffened. Into the kitchen lumbered two seeq, just as enormous as he was, wearing sturdy traveling gear, weapons slung at their sides and backs.

The sunburst-yellow male leaned a large arm on the countertop and grinned toothily, stretching an old scar that ran down one side of his snout. "So it _is_ you!" he said. "Our own son, the Pirate King! You really amounted to somethin' after all, eh lad?"

The female, whose skin was a dusky shade of cyan, wore a critical sneer as she poked into the nearby cupboards, didn't seem to like what she saw, and then turned her golden eyes to the two of us. "Tell yer scullery maid to fix us up some grub, Qrroggie," she said. "It's been a long journey from Graszton, and you know how yer father gets when he's hungry."

The male laughed. "Aye, they don't call me Horgan the Devourer fer nothin'! Last time I got real hungry, I ate a whole village's food stores! What a feast that was!" He patted his gut as he reminisced.

Qrrog scowled and put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. "Mam, Dad," he said, "this be me wife, Terra."

His parents stopped and blinked. Then his father slapped a hand down on the counter. "Lad, you married a _hume?!_ " he snorted. "But they're so small and weak!"

"Aye, I ain't havin' no weakling fer my daughter-in-law!" his mother said, glowering down at me. "How d'you ever expect her to fight by yer side?"

"She fights blasted well," Qrrog said, his eyes hard and glittering, "and I'll thank ye to stop insultin' her." He gave my shoulder a squeeze and I put an arm around him. These seeq were definitely not earning any brownie points in my book, but that just made me extra determined not to leave my husband with them. They didn't deserve to be his parents. "Why are you here?" he asked before they could say anything else about his choice of a wife.

Iretha brushed past us to inspect the larder. "When we got out of that hole," she said, "first thing we did was catch up on the news. They said there's a new Pirate King, Qrrog Squallhammer, and o' course we wondered if it was our wee Qrroggie."

"Figured here's as good a place as any to lay low," Horgan added as he eased himself into a nearby chair, which sagged and groaned under his weight. While just about as tall as Qrrog, he was a lot fatter. Okay, seeq are naturally rather rotund, but this guy was grotesquely large. I could tell he certainly lived up to his title of "The Devourer". "You got yerself a nice setup here, lad!" he said, picking at his teeth with one claw. "Aye, this'll be the best Harvest Festival ever!"

Qrrog reached out and put a firm hand on his mother's arm, preventing her from going any further into the larder. "I never said you could stay," he said.

"Qrroggie," Iretha whined. "Would you really turn away yer own flesh and blood like that? We got nowhere else to go—and they're probably lookin' all over fer us! But they'd never find us on good old Worgen Island!"

"I'm not goin' back to that blasted prison if I can help it," Horgan muttered. "And I told ye I wanted grub!"

Qrrog and I exchanged glances. "Give us a minute," he said to them as he escorted me out into the hallway. "And don't touch anything!"

"Just make them leave," I said under my breath when we were out of earshot. "I don't think I like being around them any more than you do. And they're obviously not interested in being a functional family to you."

"I know," Qrrog sighed, "but a thought came to me back there. If I kick 'em out now… they'll likely go right back to doin' what it was that landed 'em in prison." He closed his eyes tightly. "I can't let 'em cause even more destruction and sufferin'. If we keep 'em here, at least they can't hurt anybody."

I looked aside. "That's a good point," I said. Putting a hand on his arm, I added, "I trust you, sweetheart. You know your parents better than I do. If you think this is best, then I believe you."

"Thank ye, love," Qrrog said. "I'll keep you safe from them, I promise."

"Thanks," I said. "But we are definitely contacting Basch and telling him to get an Archadian Judge or two out here, posthaste. They've got the most secure prisons I know of."

My husband grinned and nodded. "Aye, definitely. But until then, let's play the gracious hosts."

"All right," I said, squaring my shoulders. "We can do this, sweetheart. We've been through worse."

I don't believe in jinxes, but I do believe life is sometimes intentionally ironic.


	2. Chapter 2

"Mam, Dad," Qrrog said as we stepped back into the kitchen, "you can stay. I hope you have a nice Harvest Festival."

"And I hope yer plannin' a nice big dinner fer it," Horgan said from the table. Surprisingly enough, they had indeed not touched anything. Horgan was inspecting one of his large hunting knives, while his wife sat nearby, fingering the pommel of the greatsword at her side as she drummed her claws on the table.

Qrrog sighed and I knew what he was thinking. There went our trip to Rabanastre. I squeezed his hand. There would be other opportunities to visit the city—what was most important now was dealing with his parents. "We'll see what we can cook up," he said. "In the meantime, make yerselves at home. I'll show you to a guest room."

"Excellent," Iretha said, rubbing her hands together. "Make sure it's one with a fireplace, Qrroggie. Been gettin' cold at night lately. And I want plenty o' pillows on the bed! Me back's killin' me from years on those thin prison cots!"

"O' course, Mam," Qrrog said, forcing a smile onto his snout.

"Never mind that!" Horgan said, pounding a fist onto the table and making the wood splinter. "I want food!"

Qrrog jutted out his chin. "Dad, we'll have a nice big supper in a few hours. Can ye wait 'til then?"

Horgan opened his mouth to say something, but then his wife caught his eye and the two looked at each other. Horgan cleared his throat and turned back to his son. "All right, sure," he said. "But make sure it's a big one. You know how much I can put down."

"Just don't eat more than yer share," Qrrog said. "We've got a lot of other mouths to feed here. I'll show you to yer room." Putting his hand on my shoulder, he steered me out into the hall, and I reached up to place my hand on his. I knew he needed my strength right now and he was holding on to me like a lifeline.

"Me dad earned his title of 'The Devourer' by pillagin' entire storehouses and eatin' half the contents on the spot," my husband explained as we led the two through the fortress corridors.

I grimaced. "I'm scared to ask about your mother," I said.

"She fights with cursed blades," Qrrog said, "imbued with dark magick. She's a terror both in battle and to anyone she decides to plunder."

"They sound awfully pleasant," I said. He just sighed and gave me another squeeze.

"Hey, who's this?" A familiar pink-haired gria came skipping down the hall, followed by a viera whose long white hair swayed behind her. "Ooh, you're a Ranger, right?" Coele asked Horgan with a giggle, flapping her draconic wings as she folded her hands behind her. "Specializing in knives? Nice choice." She turned to Iretha. "And a Lanista, I'm guessing! That's a beauty of a sword you've got!"

"Ugh, a gria brat," Iretha said, shooing her away. "Get outta here, you little pest."

"Hey, I'm just trying to be friendly!" Coele said, puffing out one cheek.

"Coele, Saskia, these be me parents," Qrrog said, "Horgan the Devourer and Black-Tide Iretha. Mam, Dad, these be some o' me clanmates."

Horgan shook his head. "This son of ours wastes his time dealin' with weakling races, I can't believe it! Tell me you got at least a few good seeq and bangaa in yer clan, lad!"

"We have a bangaa," Saskia said, her eyes narrowing and one tall ear flicking, "as well as a revgaji, a moogle, and a nu mou. And they're all quite strong." Her dark gaze turned to Qrrog. "I should hope you are not expecting me to invite them into Clan Excelsior."

"We wouldn't join yer stinky clan if ye paid us!" Iretha said. She paused. "Well, maybe if ye paid us. But our blades don't come cheap!"

"I'm not interested, thank you," Saskia said, looking down her nose at them. "Qrrog, how long will they be staying?"

Horgan propped himself against the wall. "As long as we blasted well please, viera snob. Now get outta our way if you know what's best fer ye."

"Everything will be okay," I said to our clanmates. "Qrrog's got everything under control."

"I hope so," Coele said. "C'mon, Saskia, let's go set up for target practice. I'm tired of these meanies."

Saskia nodded and followed her gria friend past us. The viera shot Qrrog a scrutinizing glance, and he returned it with a nervous, but hopeful smile. Saskia may be our clan leader, but Qrrog has jurisdiction in his own fortress, so she had no say as to our guests. But she also has enough experience with the way he does things that she had faith in him. Probably.

Once we got my in-laws settled in their guest room, the two of us decided to clear our minds a little and go to the workshop. Winnifrith and Vasily had been working hard on something all week, and we wanted to see if they had made enough progress that they could tell us what it was.

"Kupopo, your parents sound worse than mine," Winn said when we explained the situation to the moogle engineer and her bangaa assistant. "At least mine aren't, y'know, criminals, kupo."

"Jussst kick 'em out," Vasily said. "They're already givin' me a migraine and I ain't even met 'em yet." He took off one of his work gloves to pinch the bridge of his snout.

"You don't have to go anywhere near 'em, Scales," Qrrog said. "We got a line through to Basch and told him what's up. He's gonna send a couple of judges as soon as he can. Shouldn't take too long."

"In the meantime," I said, "can we see what you're working on now?"

Winnifrith hovered around the table, sifting through nuts and bolts. "Sure, kupo! Thanks for waiting until we had a working prototype. It's more exciting that way, kupo!" She moved to a control bank nearby and her stubby fingers flew over the screen.

With a deep hum, the enormous mechanical arms suspended from the ceiling of the workshop jerked to life. They moved on tracks to a large tarp, clenched the cloth in their grip, and pulled it away.

Beneath was a sleek, long-bodied machine made of gleaming black metal, with four crouching legs and an enclosed cockpit in its torso, looking like an obsidian panther. At the front end was a cluster of sensors, as well as two small energy cannons.

"Ooooh, nice!" I said, clapping my hands. "It looks wicked cool!"

"Aye, you've really outdone yerselves this time, mates!" Qrrog said. "Is this the second edition to those ones?" He pointed to Winn's original models, bipedal craft that sat in another corner of the workshop.

The moogle shook her head as she and Vasily approached the new machine. Vasily leaned against its leg, while Winn perched on top of it. "I call this the _Sylph_ -class magitek armor, kupo," she said. "It's especially geared toward stealth, kupo, while my original models – the _Asura_ -class – are more all-around craft, kupo."

"Sounds like yer makin' us a right army, kiddo!" Qrrog said with an amused grin. He and I wandered toward the _Sylph_ to inspect it closer. "So what makes it so great for stealth?"

"Firssst off, it'sss light and quick," Vasily said, patting the machine's metal shoulder. "Lessss armor, but Winn tinkered with the reaction sssyssstem ssso it'sss twice as resssponsssive." He smirked. "And—Pipsssqueak, you wanna do the honorsss?"

"Naturally, kupo," Winn said. She ducked into the cockpit. A moment later, she had it powered on, the machine's joints easing as it took on the fluid stance of something nearly alive. "Keep an eye on it, kupo!" she said from out the open hatch.

She flicked a switch. Suddenly the entire machine shimmered and disappeared. If I looked hard enough, I could see a distorted shape in the air front of me, but if I wasn't looking for it, I would never notice it. "Cloaking, nice!" I said. "How long did it take you to figure that out?"

"Quite a while, kupo," Winn said as she turned the cloaking off, powered the _Sylph_ down, and flittered out. "But it was a kupo lot of fun." She turned to my husband. "Qrrog, thanks for letting me live here and work on my projects, kupo. I hope it's not too much trouble."

"Not at all, kiddo!" Qrrog said, ruffling the tuft of fur on her head. "Yer inventions have helped out on so many missions! Yer a vital part o' me clan, you are!"

"Oye, what's all this, then?" an unfortunately familiar voice asked. Iretha and her husband had wandered into the workshop, craning their necks as they viewed Winn's handiwork. My mother-in-law reached for a bundle of cables that hung from the ceiling.

"Don't touch that, kupo!" Winn said, flitting over to her and snatching the cables away. "I've got these mist feeds hooked up just so, kupo!"

Iretha snorted at her. "Don't take that tone with me, you little rat!" Her hand moved to her sword.

Vasily bounded across the floor and shoved himself in between the two, drawing himself up as though he was taller than the two seeq, glowering at them. "You leave her alone," he snarled. "I've only known you blokesss fer two sssecondsss and I already hate you. Get outta our workshop."

Horgan laughed. "You think that'll scare us, lizard?"

The bangaa's eyes widened. "What did you jussst call me?!" he hissed.

"Mam! Dad!" Qrrog scrambled toward them and I followed close behind. "C'mon, we're all friends here!" my husband said, easing himself between Vasily and the objects of his ire. "There's no need fer bickerin'." He tossed a glanced over his shoulder at the bangaa, who muttered under his breath and turned away.

His parents stared at him for a moment, then looked at each other and dropped their hands away from their weapons. "Tell yer mates not to be so mean to us, Qrroggie," Iretha said. "We just got outta prison, we don't need this kinda treatment!" Whenever she talked to her son, she took on this whiny, condescending tone like she simultaneously still viewed him as a child and was trying to wheedle things out of him. It grated on me something fierce.

"You started it, kupo," Winn whispered as she alit on Vasily's shoulder, ears pinned back in annoyance.

"What are you makin' here, anyway?" Horgan asked, peering around his son's shoulder at the magitek armor.

"Personal projects, kupo," Winnifrith said. "Vasily and I also take care of any mechanical repairs that need to be done around the island, kupo, but in our spare time we like to tinker." Although clearly still miffed, she could not pass up the opportunity to talk about her passion.

The two seeq, under my husband's watchful eye, moved closer to the large machines. "These look like some mighty fine weapons," Iretha said. "I imagine you've got control of the whole coast with 'em."

Qrrog shook his head. "We don't use 'em fer that. They're just fer clan missions and emergencies."

"Really?" Horgan asked. "Ye must be daft, lad—think of how many villages would cower if you sent these to call!"

My husband folded his arms. "Exactly," he said. "We don't raid villages. I ain't that kinda pirate."

"We're good pirates, kupo!" Winn said. "We don't do anything illegal! We're allies with all the cities in Jylland, and a few nations in the rest of Ivalice, too, kupo!"

My in-laws laughed, but when no one else joined them, their looks of mirth turned into ones of confusion. "I'm sorry," Iretha said, "but did I just hear ye say ye were 'good pirates'?"

"Ain't no such thing as a good pirate," Horgan said.

"There is now," his son said, puffing out his chest proudly. "And yer lookin' at 'em. I'm changin' the meanin' of the word."

Iretha scowled. "Yer besmirchin' the name of piracy, you oaf! You ain't fit to be the Pirate King!"

"I'm not lettin' anyone else take the title," Qrrog said with a frown. "Last guy who had it blasted near destroyed Goug. At least I know it's safe with me."

"Yer a moron," Horgan said.

Vasily growled. "He's one o' the finest blokesss I've ever met," the bangaa said, "and if I hear one more word outta either of you bad-mouthin' yer own ssson, I've got a hand-cannon that'd love ter meet you."

Qrrog held up his hands. "No fightin', and that's final," he said. "Worgen Island be a place of sanctuary and peace. Mam, Dad, if you'd like to see Winn's other creations, I'm sure she'd be happy to show 'em off." He shot the moogle a hopeful half-smile.

She sighed. "Just as long as they stop insulting you, kupo," she said. "C'mon, I'll show you my _Asuras_. We used them to defeat Bloodblade a few years back, kupo."

" _The_ Bloodblade?" Iretha asked, raising her eyebrows as we followed Winn. "That ol' dog was the Pirate King before ye, Qrroggie? I always did like his style."

"That doesn't surprise me," Vasily grumbled.

"Aye, I put a stop to that as soon as I found out about it," Qrrog said. "Couldn't be prouder of me wife and me clanmates fer all their help—Mam, what're you doin'?"

Iretha had left the group and was sifting through a pile of materials on the floor—Winn likes to keep the workshop in a state of "organized chaos", much to Vasily's dismay. At the sound of her son's voice, her head snapped up and she cleared her throat. "Just, ah, me sword strap came loose so I was fastenin' it…" she said.

Qrrog narrowed his eyes. "No stealin'," he said.

"All right, all right," Iretha said. She began to turn away, but something in the pile caught her eye. "Hold on a tick…" She reached one large arm in and fished around for a moment before pulling out a large tome with an elaborate cover. It looked like the fanciest spellbook ever made, but I knew it was no ordinary magick book. My stomach dropped as she asked, "This is a Grimoire, ain't it?"

"Aye, it is," Qrrog said. He glanced down at me. "I guess we kinda forgot that was in here, what with the whole Bloodblade thing."

I nodded. I had found this same Grimoire a few years ago when we had first come to Worgen Island, in this very workshop. Back then I had hastily reburied it in Winn's piles of stuff, and what with everything that came afterward, it must have slipped my mind. It seemed Winn hadn't done a whole lot of cleaning since then.

Horgan's eyes widened. "Whoa, those're rarer than a short viera!" he said. "They got the power to pull in folks from other worlds, right? Like that crazy Illua lady and that Luso brat we kept hearin' about a while back?"

I shifted my weight uneasily. That was true—it was also true that Grimoires had the power to send people back to their home worlds once their adventures were over. I destroyed mine so that my adventures would never end, but I didn't want to risk opening another Grimoire here in Ivalice.

"Well, this would fetch a pretty piece o' gil on the right markets," Iretha said, holding the Grimoire up to inspect it. "Sounds like yer not usin' it, so…"

"Somehow I don't trust you'd sell it to anyone responsible," Qrrog said, moving to take the book from her. She gave it up with an irritated scowl. "We'll keep it in the fortress vaults, thanks." Tucking it under one arm, he returned to my side and put a hand on my head, mussing my hair a bit.

I put an arm around him in return. Grimoires didn't scare me like they used to. Sometimes I used to have nightmares about finding another one and being unable to resist the urge to go home. But I knew now that I could trust myself to be fully committed to my husband and my life in Ivalice. Earth didn't hold any promise for me, anyway.

* * *

Dinner was… well, we survived it. None of Qrrog's subjects looked particularly happy to see Horgan the Devourer and Black-Tide Iretha sharing a table with them. Iretha kept trying to order everyone around and threatened them with all sorts of punishments if they didn't comply, while Horgan definitely ate more than his fair share and then spent the rest of the evening belching so loud it made the stone walls ring. We were all relieved when they finally retired to the guest chambers.

"The Judges can't get here soon enough," I muttered through foam as I brushed my teeth in Qrrog's and my bathroom. I have to admit that while I like Ivalice for a variety of reasons, the existence of indoor plumbing was definitely a factor in my deciding to stay.

"I'm sorry," Qrrog said from the bedroom as he stoked the embers in the fireplace. "Everyone seems to be holdin' out okay. We just gotta put up with 'em for a few more days, at the most, I figure. Then everything can go back to the way it was."

I spat out my toothpaste so my speech wouldn't be so impeded. "I'm sorry," I said as I rinsed out my toothbrush. "It's not your fault your parents are… well… average seeq, personality-wise. I didn't mean to complain." I dried my hands and went out to join him at the fireplace. "You're doing an awesome job," I said, squeezing his shoulders. "I think it's really smart of you to keep them here so they won't cause mayhem elsewhere."

He smiled up at me before getting to his feet. "Thank ye, love," he said. "I'm just sorry I didn't… warn ye about 'em sooner."

"I understand," I said. "You've never been nosy about my family. I respect that you didn't want to talk about yours, either. And no offense, but I can see why."

Qrrog chuckled sheepishly. "It is tough bein' the son of two o' the most infamous pirates in Jylland," he said. He sat down on the edge of the bed, looking out the window, and I joined him. "They were merciless, they were, preyin' on merchants and townsfolk alike. Anything they wanted, they took, whether it was power and control they were after like me mam, or mostly just food like me dad. And they tried to teach me to walk in their hoofsteps." He shuddered.

I gave his hand a squeeze and leaned against his shoulder. "It says a lot about you that you didn't," I said. "I'm proud of you. You really do have a heart of gold, you know."

My husband grinned. "Thank ye," he said. "Well, I could only live like that fer so long. Once I got old enough, they started tryin' to get me to come on raids with 'em. I couldn't stomach that idea—so I ran away. I wanted to be a pirate with honor instead of a black-hearted brigand like their type." He smiled a little wistfully. "I found a good crew and worked me way up to bein' a captain of me own ship. We only went after merchant vessels, only attacked those who could fight back. Lookin' back, it wasn't perfect, but it was better than how me mam and dad ran things."

"Cut yourself some slack," I said. "Considering your upbringing, that code of honor sounds practically saintly—" Movement out the window caught my eye. Jumping up, I moved to the glass in time to see a pale figure duck beneath an eave down below. My eyes narrowed as I continued to watch the darkness, but saw nothing else.

Qrrog hefted himself to his feet and stood beside me with an arm around my shoulders. "What is it?" he asked.

"I saw something," I said, pointing to where I had last seen the entity. "I'm not sure what. It looked like a person. Maybe a viera, it was long-limbed and thin, and I think I might have seen long ears."

Qrrog frowned. "Awfully strange fer any of our folk to go on jaunts about the rooftops late at night. Besides the guard, anyway, and that doesn't sound like them."

I nodded. "I'm casting a Barrier, just in case. I can't help but feel like they were watching us." I shut the curtains and grabbed my staff, still feeling a knot in my stomach. Being the Pirate King and Queen does unfortunately make us targets sometimes, which is not something I enjoy about the job. But we're definitely capable of defending ourselves.

As my staff glowed and mist swirled around us, hardening into a magical shield around the entire room, Qrrog went out to tell the guards to search the area. When he came back, he said, "At any rate, I suppose that's why bein' the Pirate King appealed to me so much. I thought if I could rule over as many pirates as possible, I could steer 'em straight. Most of 'em ain't particularly bad folk, they just made some bad choices and can't find the way out."

"You have such a good heart," I said, leaning on my staff as I caught my breath. A long-duration Barrier was nothing to sneeze at, and it had taken quite a bit out of me, but I always believe in the policy of "better safe than sorry". "I'm glad you're the Pirate King," I said as I leaned my weapon back against the wall, next to my husband's battleaxe. "Ivalice needs you just the way you are."

"It needs ye too, love," Qrrog said, taking my hands in his. "Don't ever forget that. I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't fer ye."

"I'm so glad I found what I really wanted to do with my life," I said. "I don't regret burning my Grimoire. I'm never going back. I love my purpose here."

As my husband and I drifted off to sleep, one of his floppy ears draped over my head to keep me warmer, I felt utterly safe and secure. Nothing, not even dreadful in-laws, could take away the happy life I had.

Or so I thought.


	3. Chapter 3

"All right, now arrange five lightwing crystals within the spell," Hesketh said as streams of iridescent magick surrounded her mace. "We'll see if that does the trick."

"Right," I said, moving to the old nu mou's stores of magick supplies and rifling through a drawer until I found the crystals. Each of them glowed with a soft light and I could feel their warmth in my hand as I returned to my mentor.

Qrrog was off doing Pirate King stuff that morning. I probably shouldn't admit it, but he really handles most of the administrative affairs. I'm just moral support—although he'd get upset if he heard me calling myself "just" moral support. At any rate, although we like to spend as much time together as possible, sometimes he has to go do things like settle disputes or negotiate trade agreements, things that he's great at but tend to stress me out. So that's when I go help out our clan Sage with her magick tinkering. Being a White Mage isn't just about running around casting Cures, after all.

"Make sure to place them randomly around the weave," Hesketh added. "We need an odd number so that pairs don't cause a resonance."

"Gotcha," I said as I sat down across from her. Raising my staff, I let the mist flow through me and willed a crystal up into the mana tangle. The energy of the spell resisted the crystal at first, so I had to work to find a spot where the energies were harmonic. Finally the crystal eased into place and began to glow brighter.

As I raised another one, the door to Hesketh's study burst open. The nu mou jumped and the entire spell jerked in response, starting to frazzle. I gritted my teeth and poured my power into it to stabilize it until she could get it under control.

"Jihl, you clumsy fool!" Hesketh said to the revgaji standing in the doorway. "We're working with ultima magick! This spell cannot be disturbed without the proper uncasting or else the consequences could be dire!"

"Apologies, mate," Jihl said as he leaned against the doorway, stroking his long black beard. "But it's somewhat of an emergency. Qrrog told me to tell Terra right away."

I stood up, feeling my stomach drop. "What is it?" I asked my husband's quartermaster.

"The vaults were broken into last night," Jihl said.

I frowned, remembering what I had seen last night. "What did they steal?"

"The Grimoire," the revgaji said.

"It's those dratted in-laws of yours," Hesketh harrumphed, shaking her head. "They're naught but thieves and villains. Believe me—I was part of their crew once, back when they were young. I could only stand working under them for a month before I quit. There's not an ounce of decency in them."

"Well, we shouldn't jump to conclusions," I said, even though both my clanmates clearly already had. "I mean… yeah, it's probably them, but it's not like they're going anywhere, right? They said they wanted to stay for the Harvest Festival, which is next week. The Judges will be here far before then."

"Oh, bother your insufferable niceness," Hesketh said. "If that husband of yours knows what's good for him, he'll just toss them in the dungeon, even if they are his own parents."

I shifted my weight. "I think he doesn't want them to blame him for their arrest."

"Aye, I think it'd break his heart if they hated him," Jihl said, "even if he can't agree with the way they do things."

"And what makes you think they currently like him?" Hesketh asked. "That fool of a seeq's too sentimental."

I couldn't really be angry at Hesketh. I knew she wasn't meaning to truly badmouth my husband. She's just a little on the irascible side and isn't afraid to speak her mind. "Qrrog said he had all of this under control," I said. "We can trust him." I felt like I knew what he was trying to do, at any rate. If his parents saw the way he was running things here, he was hoping it would soften their hearts to a better way of life, at the very least to give them something to think about in prison.

To me, they seemed further gone than he had ever been, but I could never discourage his attempts to be compassionate. After all, it was my showing compassion to him years ago that changed his heart and changed our lives forever.

Jihl nodded, and Hesketh didn't seem to have an argument for this. "We're stepping up security in the fortress," the revgaji said. "I hope I didn't scare you, but he wanted me to let you know what's going on. It might be best if you stay here with Hesketh until we can get this looked into properly."

"No problem," I said. "Good luck with everything."

"Let me know if you want me to do a scrying, or a truth spell, or something," Hesketh said. "You people seem to forget that I am a Sage."

"Will do, Granny," Jihl said. "Good luck with your alternate magick or whatever."

" _Ultima_ magick!" Hesketh yelled after him as he closed the door. "I swear, some people have no appreciation for the magickal arts. Terra, those crystals, if you please?"

I sat back down and lifted two more lightwing crystals into the spell, although now it was a little harder to concentrate. Qrrog's parents didn't seem to have changed a bit from the last time he saw them, and it was worrisome. Especially since now they'd possibly stooped to stealing from their own son.

Heavy hoofsteps sounded in the hall outside, and I looked up with the beginnings of a smile, thinking it might be Qrrog back from negotiations. My hopes were dashed when Horgan opened the door, followed by Iretha. The two seeq pushed their way into Hesketh's study, staring at all of her magickal accoutrements and the spell swirling in front of them.

"You are not welcome here," Hesketh said, glancing at them before going back to her casting. "Get out or I'll turn you both into toads."

"Good mornin' to ye, too," Iretha said with a nasty grin, the Grimoire clutched in her claws.

I was disappointed to see my suspicions confirmed. It's never fun to find out your husband's parents are every bit as bad as everyone says. "Why did you steal the Grimoire?" I asked.

Horgan chuckled. "Because we needed ye outta the picture," he said.

My stomach plunged as his words sunk in. Iretha opened the book wide and I leaped to my feet. My staff blazed with magick as I swung it out, hoping an Aero spell would put enough distance between us.

No such luck. The pages glowed with a blinding light that surrounded me, pulling me back to my own world. "Stop!" I yelled, thrashing and throwing magick to try to escape.

"Terra—the spell—help!" Hesketh cried from somewhere far away, although her voice was warped and muddled. "You imbeciles! You've destabilized the—"

Suddenly something felt very wrong. This trip felt different from when I had come to Ivalice, and not in a good way. I felt as though I was caught in the web of a giant spider, tangled up in invisible strings that threatened to alternately pull me apart and engulf me.

Letting out a primal bellow, I pushed away with all of my magickal might, just trying to survive at this point. Then I blacked out.

* * *

When I came to, I was lying somewhere cold and itchy, listening to the sound of my own breathing and the quiet chaos of multiple distant conversations. My glasses were askew on my face, the nosepads jamming painfully into the bridge of my nose, and despite my fatigue I reached up to take them off.

"Oh man, that test was the worst!" someone said as he walked past me.

"I hate our professor, man!" another guy chimed in. "How does she expect us to remember all of that?"

My eyes flew open and I sat up with a start, and my worst fears were confirmed. I sat on a grassy lawn in between angular concrete buildings. Young adults mulled about the walkways, wearing backpacks, carrying books, or checking their phones.

In one fist I clenched the grass beside me. "No," I choked, feeling like I'd been emotionally hit by a train. They'd sent me back. Not only that, but it sounded like they weren't planning anything good.

Shakily, I rose to my feet, staring at a college I hadn't seen in years, like memories of a bad dream bubbling up again. The sky was overcast and the leaves on the trees were brown and brittle, many of them having already fallen. A chilly wind whipped across campus, tossing my hair into my face.

I was still wearing my Ivalician clothing, and my staff had made the journey with me, but I could care less how different I looked from everyone else. What really upset me was that I was back after I had tried so hard to never return.

Oh, and Qrrog's parents were awful. That was bad, too.

But he stood a good chance of being okay, I thought as I made my way toward the nearest building, trying to get out of the wind. He was smart, and he had his subjects and our clan on his side, not to mention the Archadian Judges.

But he didn't have his wife anymore, and that's what really tore me up inside. I had wanted to never leave him, and now someone had separated us purely out of malice.

Tears came to my eyes and I ducked my face into my hand, embarrassed to be crying in public. Nobody who passed by cared, though. They certainly had never cared when I was one of them, either. It just drove home how much I missed my husband, who would drop everything to try to make me smile as soon as he saw I was upset.

I had to get back. But how? I had destroyed my own Grimoire in Ivalice. The second Grimoire hadn't seemed to have made the trip with me—the return to Earth from Ivalice was probably supposed to be one-way.

Maybe I could find another one. But just thinking about the incredible rarity of Grimoires was daunting. What if I'd found the only one on the planet? I'd heard the stories of a boy named Luso Clemens and a woman named Illua, who seemed to have come into Ivalice from worlds other than Earth a few years before I showed up on the scene. What if each world only got one Grimoire?

I rounded the corner of the building, on the side where the wind wasn't so bad, and sunk onto a concrete bench there. I looked up at the gray, moody sky, wishing to see an airship up there. Already I missed everything awesome about Ivalice. Earth was so boring in comparison.

And worst of all, I missed my husband. Nobody else was around, so I curled my knees to my chest and started to sob. I really hated to admit it, but things looked bleak and I didn't know how to start making them better.

"Terra?" a joltingly familiar voice asked.

I sucked in a breath and looked up, scared that my ears were deceiving me. They weren't. Lumbering down the sidewalk, hooves clopping on the pavement, was a rather bewildered-looking blue seeq.

"Qrrog!" I jumped up and tackled him, hugging him fiercely, never wanting to let him go. "Thank goodness you're here!" I gasped. "I don't know what I would have done without you!"

"Likewise, love," he said, squeezing me tight. "But… where are we? Last I remember, I was in the meetin' room tryin' to detangle an argument… then there was this bright light and I woke up in what looked to be a cafeteria a short way from here." He paused. "Everybody was lookin' at me funny."

I swallowed hard. "You're… you're in my world," I said.

He tilted his head in confusion. "How?"

"Your parents used the Grimoire on me," I said. "I'm sorry."

My husband frowned. "I'm the one who should be sorry," he said. "I got us into this. I shouldn't have trusted 'em so much."

"You were trying to be a good son to them," I said. "Don't worry about it. None of us saw this coming."

A gust of wind rattled the leaves on the trees and sent a few flying at us like withered hands with curled claws. Qrrog batted them away and looked out at the football field beyond us. "But why am I here, too?" he asked. "Far as I know, Grimoires aren't supposed to pull in folks from Ivalice."

"I'll bet it had something to do with how the Grimoire's magick reacted with the spell I was helping Hesketh cast," I said. "I heard her yell something about it as I left, and I felt something go wrong." I frowned. "We have to find a way back."

"Aye," my husband said with a nod. "Any ideas? You know way more about Earth than I do."

"Well, that's why I was a crying heap just a minute ago," I admitted, shoulders sagging. "I don't have any idea. Grimoires aren't exactly common—and I'm worried that there might only be one per world. I… I'm not sure there is a way back."

Qrrog wiped my tears from my cheeks and planted his snout on my forehead. "We'll find a way back, love," he said. "Pirate's oath."

I smiled. "Thanks. Let's not give up. You never know."

"At any rate," he said, craning his neck up at the lecture hall behind us, "it'll be fascinatin' to actually get to see yer world for meself! You'll have to give me the grand tour!"

I chuckled weakly. "It's not half as interesting as Ivalice. But… there are some cool things to see."

He gave my hands a squeeze. "I can't wait for ye to show 'em to me," he said.

I was more than relieved to have at least gotten my husband back. Already things felt better. But we couldn't just stay behind this building forever.

"Do ye know this place?" Qrrog asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I nodded. "This was my old college. I'm not surprised the Grimoire spat me out here. It's where I spent most of my time back when I bought the book." I laughed. "And I'm not surprised you ended up in the cafeteria. It seems Grimoires like to find fitting places for people."

Qrrog chuckled and patted his belly. "Aye, all that food looked mighty tasty! But they wouldn't take me gil." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his pouch of gold pieces. "I guess that ain't legal tender here."

I shook my head. "That means we're technically broke. And homeless." I sighed. "Wonderful."

"Mm…" My husband stared up at the sky. "It's gonna get cold at night. We should find a place to stay."

"I'll bet we can sell those gil coins at a pawn shop," I said. "They are made of precious metals." I pulled out my own money bag that jingled with gil. "We can likely afford a hotel room for a couple of days."

"Good thinkin'," Qrrog said. "D'you know where the nearest pawn shop is?"

"Yeah," I said. "Hopefully they don't close super early. Let's go."

We made our way across campus and through town, and I have to admit I had fun giving Qrrog a tour. He was amazed by things like cars and smartphones, and also by the fact that everyone was a hume and we derived our energy from electricity.

Although he still stuck out like only a blue boar-ogre could, we didn't get as much of a reaction as I thought we would. I quickly learned that it was October 29th, so most people probably assumed he was trying out his Halloween costume early. I felt like at least the timing for this unfortunate adventure had been perfect, so that was a positive.

But it was a long walk to the pawn shop, which was closed by the time we got there. "Rats," I said. "Guess we'll have to try again tomorrow."

"Any other options fer tonight?" Qrrog asked.

"Well…" I chewed on my bottom lip.

Qrrog looked at me. "Hm?"

"We… could see if my parents still live around here," I said. "When I left, we were living in an apartment about a mile away."

He searched my face. "You sure?"

"Maybe it—won't be so bad," I said. "Besides… I never got the chance to tell them goodbye. They never knew what happened to me—so I think I owe it to them to at least tell them I'm alive."

Qrrog patted my head. "That's good o' ye, Brighteyes. Don't worry, I'll be right there with ye."

"I appreciate that," I said with a smile. I knew he had to be curious about my own family, and now it seemed he was going to find out firsthand as well. I just hoped it wouldn't crash and burn too horribly.


	4. Chapter 4

As the sun set behind the clouds, I led my husband to a crowded apartment complex where someone was playing loud hip-hop on their balcony, and an unkempt guy walked a mean-looking dog past us.

"Cheerful place," Qrrog said under his breath.

"We've never been well off," I said. I still remembered which apartment building was ours, as well as the number. It felt oddly like going home, except that I never wanted to consider this home. Worgen Island was home, not this dump.

"You are now," Qrrog reminded me with a grin. I returned it with a grateful smile. That was true. I was not my parents—I was the Pirate Queen, and I felt I had earned everything we had back in Ivalice.

I was surprised at how well I remembered the route to my parents' apartment. The stairs creaked under Qrrog's weight as I led him up to the fourth story. Countless days I had spent going up and down those stairs under the weight of a backpack. Now I clutched my mage's staff in one hand and my husband's hand in the other. He was right—I had forged a new life for myself, one that I liked much better than anything I could have had here.

I stopped in front of a recessed doorway. #417, just as I remembered it. Through the peephole, I could see that a light was on. I turned to my husband and shrugged. "Only one way to find out," I said before knocking.

After a moment, the peephole darkened. Then the door opened. Standing there, with a look of utter confusion and disbelief on her face, was a short, stout woman with dark hair and tired-looking wrinkles.

"Hi, Mom," I said with a wave and a smile that was trying to be disarming.

"T-Terra?!" she yelped. "I don't—what—"

"Terra?" a man's voice demanded from the other room. A tall, thin man marched into view, his light hair grayer than I remembered. As soon as he saw me his eyes narrowed behind his glasses. "Where have you been?! Do you know how long you've been missing?!"

My smile drooped. "About five years," I said, "and I'm sorry. It was due to circumstances beyond my control. But I'm much happier where I am now—"

"I was worried sick about you!" my mother said with a scowl.

"Get inside," my father said, jabbing his thumb toward the living room. "If you ran away or something, you're in a whole mess of trouble."

I narrowed my eyes. It would have been nice for them to at least be happy to see me, but considering who I was dealing with, I guess I shouldn't even expected that.

Qrrog put his hand on my shoulder and leaned forward, clearing his throat. "She didn't run away," he said. "A magick book pulled her into my world. She's been busy fightin' monsters and castin' spells."

"And just who are you?" my mother asked, obviously not buying that story one bit.

"Her husband," the seeq said with a frown. "And I'll thank ye kindly to stop antagonizin' her. No wonder she never talks about you folks."

"You can't be serious," my father groaned. "Terra, of all the stupid things, did you really go and elope?"

"I didn't elope!" I said. "I know he didn't ask your permission first, but we were kind of in another universe at the time!" I squared my shoulders. "Besides, I'm an adult! I was an adult when I left! I can make my own decisions!"

"Not as long as you're living under my roof!" my father said. "I'm just trying to keep you from doing stupid things! Do you realize how dangerous it was to run away with some guy you never even bothered to introduce us to?!"

"I don't like anybody who dresses like a giant blue pig for Halloween," my mother added with a sniff.

I gritted my teeth. "Clearly this was a mistake," I said, turning to leave. "And Dad, I'm not living under your roof anymore. I'm the Pirate Queen and I have my own fortress, thanks."

He reached out and grabbed my arm. "You aren't going anywhere!" he said. "You're delusional!"

"Why are you doing this?!" my mother sobbed to me like I'd become some sort of criminal. "You never got into trouble like this before!"

My nostrils flared. "What trouble?!" I asked again, becoming more irate. Now, there are very, very few things that get me angry. People being idiots when they should know better is one of them. "I've been gone for five years and you automatically assume I'm a felon or something? Seriously? Why can't you just believe me?!"

Qrrog pried my father's hand away from my arm and hovered over me protectively. "This ain't a costume, mateys," he said, lifting his lips to show them where his tusks connected to his gums. "I'm as real as they come. If you still don't wanna believe that, then fine, but just know that we tried to tell ye."

My parents exchanged glances. "I'm calling the police," my mother said.

My father put out a hand to stop her. "Don't," he grumbled. "We don't need the police showing up at a time like this."

"This is serious!" my mother said. "Terra needs to go to the psych ward or something!"

"The police will just make things worse!" my father said. "They'll just start asking questions and then we'll never see the end of it! We could get sued!"

As they continued to argue, I saw my opportunity and pushed my husband away from the door, leading him back out into the hallway. Unable to stand the sound of their voices, I staggered down the steps and sat down near the bottom, where I buried my face in my hands.

A moment later, Qrrog joined me. "Have they always been like this?" he asked quietly.

I looked up at him and nodded. "They've never gotten along… and they've never really been loving to my siblings and I, either. That was… that was part of the reason why I didn't want to go back. I hated not having a real family." Sniffling, I hunched my shoulders. "Clan Excelsior is a way better family than my biological relations ever were."

"I can understand that," Qrrog said, putting an arm around me.

"I'm sorry," I said. "It seems like neither of us came from the best backgrounds."

"Aye, but it just made us all the more determined to make somethin' better," Qrrog said. "That says a lot about the kind o' person you are, love."

I squeezed him. "Same to you, sweetheart."

We sat like that for a long moment as dusk drew nearer. Then, I said, "So I guess we're camping tonight."

"Mm…" Qrrog rubbed his nose. "Let's try yer parents one more time, love," he said. "I just don't feel right about leavin' 'em like this. Maybe we've given 'em enough time to think things over that they'll let us stay."

"Okay," I said as he stood up and lent me a hand. I took it and pulled myself to my feet, and we began the long trudge back up the stairs. As much as I wanted to just let them live their dysfunctional lives without me, Qrrog was better at approaching people than I was. And I think we both knew that if I left without at least trying to resolve things between us, I would likely regret it later.

Clinging tightly to my husband's hand, I knocked again. Once again, my mom answered. Tears stained her face and I immediately felt guilty, and glad that we hadn't left. "Please come back, Terra," she said. "I promise we won't call the police."

I bit my tongue to keep back a witty remark. Truth is, being passive-aggressive never helps things. "Thank you," I said. "I'm sorry I've upset you and Dad. I know what happened to me sounds crazy, but I swear it's the truth. And I've made that other world my home. I'm happy there. I know it's not really what you guys were expecting, but it feels right." I paused. "I've always been a weird person, anyway. I don't think I could really go for anything normal."

"Are they back?" my dad shouted from past the closed door to the master bedroom.

"Yes," my mom said over her shoulder. She looked back to me. "So… you're not coming back home?"

I took a breath. "Mom," I said, "this isn't home anymore. I've found my own life. I'm an adult. That's what I'm supposed to do."

She looked down. "Right…"

"But Qrrog and I need you guys's help right now," I said. "We need a place to stay, just for tonight. We'll be on our way tomorrow. We're trying to figure out a way back to where we came from."

"Is… is he really real?" my mom asked, pointing up at the seeq.

I nodded. "Like I said, I know it sounds crazy, but I feel like I was never meant for anything normal anyway."

Her face paled. "How… what…"

"I hope we're not troublin' ye too much, ma'am," Qrrog said with a bow. He glanced over at the kitchenette, which was not in good shape. "Tell ye what, if ye lets us stay, I'll do all yer dishes. How's that sound?"

Although still in shock, my mother's dark eyes lit up at the prospect of someone doing her stacks of dirty dishes. "I'll—I'll go ask your father," she mumbled, ducking away toward the bedroom. "Um—you can come in." She opened the door wider.

"Thanks," I said as I led my husband into a disheveled living room with sparse furniture. We sat down on the threadbare couch and I gave him a nervous smile.

"Yer doin' great," he said, mussing my hair.

"Are you sure you want to do all of their dishes?" I asked. "I'm sure some of those have been in the sink for at least a week."

"I don't mind the smell, remember?" Qrrog asked, poking his snout with a chuckle. "Bein' a seeq has many advantages."

I laughed. "Fair enough."

Both of my parents emerged from the bedroom. My father looked angry, but that was a usual expression for him. "You can stay," he said. "Use your brothers' old room." He pointed down the hall.

"Thanks," I said with a smile. "I appreciate that."

"As do I," Qrrog said. "None have ever regretted showin' hospitality to the Pirate King."

"Where is everybody, anyway?" I asked my mother as she moved boxes off of the small bed in what was apparently now their guest-room-slash-storage-room.

"Katie's married and has two kids," my mom said. "Rodney just got married last year, and Rick is in his last year of college and just got engaged."

My lips thinned. "So you're okay with everybody else getting married?" This rather annoyed me. I had never been a social butterfly, but that didn't mean I was incompetent at lifing.

"Well, I just—" My mother grimaced. "You never seemed too interested in that. You were always so busy with school."

I sighed. "I just wasn't very impressed with most guys," I said before hooking my arm around my husband's. "It takes a lot to wow me, but I found somebody exceptional."

My mother looked up at Qrrog and gave a polite, strained laugh. "I'm glad you found something you like," she said.

I couldn't shake that everything she said annoyed me. It felt like she didn't want to think of me as anything but a child, and a rather stupid one at that. But they were letting us stay the night, so I tried to focus on being grateful.

For dinner, we cobbled together whatever we could find in the fridge, which turned out to be mayonnaise sandwiches. My parents evidently had been too busy with work to go grocery shopping, but we'd take what we could get.

After we ate, Qrrog and I tackled the dishes. I knew it was a lost cause because the kitchen had looked like this for as long as I could remember, but I thought it was a sweet gesture of him and I wanted to support him in it. I also figured it would go faster with the both of us. Thankfully, my parents were more interested in watching TV in their room, so my husband and I could chat while we worked.

It took a while, and I got to smell all sorts of hideous odors from the sink, but finally everything was rinsed and put away—Qrrog insisted on doing the dishes by hand because it wouldn't take as long as running the dishwasher. My parents didn't seem interested in seeing us anymore that night, so we retired to the guest room, exhausted.

"At least we have a roof over our heads for tonight," I said as we tried to figure out how to fit both of us on a twin-sized bed.

"Let's go to the pawn shop first thing tomorrow," Qrrog said, "and then get a hotel. I'm not sure I like it here any more than you do."

Finally we realized that both of us using the bed just wasn't going to happen. Qrrog was nice enough to let me have it while he slept on the floor.

"I'm sorry you had to meet my parents," I said as I helped him get comfy under some blankets.

"And I'm sorry you had to meet mine," Qrrog said. "If—when we get back to Ivalice, I'm givin' 'em a piece o' me mind. Nobody messes with me wife like that."

"I just hope we can get all of this resolved," I said with a yawn. "And I really hope we can find a way back to Ivalice."

"We'll never know unless we try," Qrrog said, echoing my yawn.

Thankfully, the events of the day had left me exhausted, and I dropped off to sleep easily.

The dream I had that night, though, was a game-changer.


	5. Chapter 5

"Terra Squallhammer."

A voice, powerful and feminine, pushed my awareness into a white void. "Yes?" I asked, peering around to try to discern anything besides overwhelming light. This seemed familiar.

I was trying to remember why, when the voice spoke again. "You continue to defy your world of origin," it said. "You purposely destroyed your Grimoire in order to stay in Ivalice. You refused to use the second Grimoire to return. Why?"

Now I remembered—I'd had another dream similar to this a few years ago, back when I had first found that Grimoire in Winn's workshop. This same voice had chided me for staying in Ivalice. Well, now it had gotten what it wanted, but it sounded more curious than reprimanding this time.

"Because I love Ivalice and I love my husband," I said. "I'm not going to leave him for anything. His world is my world now—and I like Ivalice a lot better than Earth." Not giving the voice a chance to respond, I asked, "Who are you?"

A form emerged from the void and I sucked in a breath. Floating in front of me was a beautiful blue-skinned woman wearing an exquisite white and gold gown. Several sets of wings arced gracefully from her back, while her lower half seemed to be some sort of high-tech energy cannon. My eyes widened.

"The High Seraph, Ultima," she said, although I already knew who she was.

I bowed, as best as one can bow while floating in the abyss. "Lady Ultima," I said. "Why have you brought me here?"

"I have come to offer you an explanation and a proposal," Ultima said. "When your in-laws opened the Grimoire and sent you back to Earth, they disrupted the spell you and Hesketh were casting. It scrambled the world-threads of Ivalice and entangled them with the world-threads of Earth."

"Is that why Qrrog ended up here, too?" I asked.

Ultima nodded. "As well as all of your other clanmates," she said.

"What? Where are they?" I asked.

The seraph steepled her fingers. "Herein is where my proposal lies," she said. "You are unique, Terra Squallhammer. You have ties to both worlds. You can manipulate the world-threads, for good or for ill. Your friends are connected to these world-threads as a result of the spell misfire. Find them, and the world-threads will reveal themselves to you."

"Will that get me back to Ivalice?" I asked.

"That alone will not," Ultima said. "However, I am willing to grant you passage back to Ivalice if you restore the world-threads. They are beyond the Scions' reach now—only one with a presence in both worlds can work with them. You will undertake this task as a test of your purity of heart—or remain on Earth for the rest of your life."

My brow furrowed in concentration. "What do you mean, purity of heart?"

"Do you know why those chosen by the Grimoires always return to their home worlds after fulfilling their adventures in Ivalice?" Ultima asked. She circled around me and I turned to face her. "They accrue too much power. Eventually, they become strong enough to touch the very world-threads and alter reality. It only takes one Grimoire-writer on a power trip to make us Scions very cautious about such things. Those who defy their fate become a danger to all Ivalice."

"You mean like Illua," I said.

"Precisely," Ultima said. "But we are not unaware of your actions in Ivalice, Terra Squallhammer. You have been brave, selfless, and generous. That is why we think we can entrust you to such a task as this."

I clenched a fist. "I won't let you down, Lady Ultima," I said.

A smile danced on her azure lips. "I do not think you will," she said.

"But how do I find my friends?" I asked. "Could they be anywhere on the planet?" I hoped not. Earth was kind of a big place.

"The way will be revealed to you tomorrow," Ultima said. "Keep moving forward. Have faith in yourself and in your quest. Ivalice is depending on you."

"I'll save it," I said. "To the best of my ability."

"I do not doubt that," Ultima said. She reached a large hand toward me and placed her palm on my forehead. "Now sleep."

I felt as though I was falling backwards, into the comforting darkness of rest.

* * *

"I sure hope Ultima knew what she was talkin' about," Qrrog said as we walked to the pawn shop the next morning.

"I guess we don't have any reason to doubt her," I said as I braced myself against a gust of cold wind.

"I'm just sayin'," Qrrog said, "I'm not seein' any 'way revealed'." He looked around at the various fast food restaurants and shopping centers we passed.

"Me either," I said, "but at least we left my parents on a good note." They'd been in a better mood in the morning, and seemed as though they accepted my new life even if they didn't quite understand it. I'd left them with a gil coin to remember me by, although Qrrog was put out that he didn't have anything more generous to offer, since we needed to save our money to fund the search for our clanmates.

"Hold up," Qrrog suddenly said, grabbing my shoulder and pointing at the bus stop ahead. "There's a nu mou over there."

I did a double-take. "That's Hesketh!" I said, breaking into a run with my husband following soon after.

"Now look here, this is perfectly good gil!" Hesketh said to the bus driver, waving the coins in the woman's face as she stood on the steps of the bus, her long tail draping out the door. "I won't stand for this mistreatment!"

"Exact change only!" the bus driver said, clearly annoyed at the holdup. "If you don't have the money, then get out!"

"Whoa there, Granny!" Qrrog said, taking her shoulders and pulling her back. "No need to cause a ruckus!"

She shoved his hands away. "Mind your own business, you—Qrrog?! Terra?!" The nu mou stumbled off of the bus, jaw agape. "Just what is going on?" she asked as the bus pulled away in a hiss of hydraulic brakes. "Where am I?"

"You're in my world," I said. "Qrrog's parents messed up your spell by opening the Grimoire when we were in the middle of casting. Apparently it really did a number on the world-threads."

"Those numbskulls," Hesketh grumbled. "This is all your fault," she said to my husband, prodding his belly with her mace.

He chuckled. "And I take full responsibility, Granny," he said. "I'll fix everything once we get back to our world."

She folded her arms and glared up at him. "And how do you propose we do that?"

"Our other clanmates got caught up in this, too," I said. "I've been told that I need to find them and fix the world-threads and then we can go back to Ivalice." As I spoke to Hesketh, I noticed that the air shimmered around her oddly, like she was draped in a sheer fabric that could barely be seen. Instinctively, I reached out to her.

Time seemed to slow down as the shimmering exploded into a network of strings, all vibrating at different frequencies, creating a dissonant cacophony. They seemed warped and pained, like someone had moved them out of place and they were straining to get back. I spread my fingers into them and tugged.

As I eased them back into place, I could feel everything they were connected to. It would be so easy to move them around to form other configurations. I could make anything I wanted, give myself anything I wanted. The world could be whatever I wished.

But that would be an abuse of power. And I believed no one should ever use force to try to change the world. Kindness, love, and integrity were much more effective. So I carefully pulled the strings back into their proper places, until the random noise was replaced by a harmonious hum that felt relaxing and invigorating all at once.

Then I pulled away and time resumed. Both Hesketh and Qrrog were looking at me oddly.

"What was that?" my mentor asked. "Did I have a curse on me?"

"No," I said, "just some world-threads. Don't worry, I fixed them."

The nu mou frowned and brushed off her robes as though she could still feel the dimensional strings attached to her. "Qrrog, I swear," she said, turning back to my husband, "your parents are— _look out!_ " Her eyes widened as she pointed behind him.

Qrrog turned and swung his axe in one swift motion, and the flat of the metal connected with something, sending it flying into the bushes with a pained grunt.

A pair of long-fingered hands grabbed the wall past the bushes, and before Qrrog could grab his assailant, she had leaped up out of his reach, staggering into the parking lot behind the bus stop to catch her breath.

My jaw dropped. She was a viera with snow-white fur, and short, choppy turquoise-colored hair that framed her face and her golden eyes. She wore a lightweight tunic and pants and a leather cuirass and pauldrons, as well as a pair of bracers on her arms. A long, thin blade extended from one of them, past her hand, although with a flick of her wrist it retreated back into the bracer.

Beside me, Hesketh raised her mace and began to utter a spell. She paused and shook her weapon. "Drat, why isn't it working?!"

"Magick doesn't work here," I said. "No mist. Trust me, I've tried."

"Oh, bother this stupid world then," she said as the viera backed away.

Qrrog moved to follow her, but then a car, going way too fast for a parking lot, swerved around the corner. "Watch out!" I yelled to her.

The viera's ears swiveled and she saw the car as it barreled toward her, brakes screeching. I huddled close to Hesketh, wondering if I should shut my eyes, but the viera vaulted herself over the hood of the car, onto the roof, and dropped down onto the other side of the vehicle. The man at the wheel looked bewildered for a moment, and when he realized he hadn't hit anything, decided to just keep driving, peeling out of the parking lot onto the street. I shook my head at how dumb people could be sometimes.

But the viera was gone. The three of us searched the row of cars she had disappeared into, but found nothing except some old fast-food wrappers blowing about.

"Who was that?" Hesketh asked. "I've never seen her before."

"Neither have I," Qrrog said. "Would be kinda nice to at least get acquainted with who's tryin' to kill me."

I closed my eyes. "She looked like what I saw on the rooftops the day before yesterday."

My husband's eyebrows rose. "That's good to know," he said. "Clears a lot up." At the look on my face, he put an arm around my shoulder. "I'm sorry yer upset, love. I'll be all right. This ain't the first time I've had an assassin after me, and I'm still around, ain't I?" He grinned. "I be deceptively hard to kill."

"Yes, I'm well aware of that," Hesketh said, lowering her eyelids. She actually had been trying to kill him at one point, when she was Bloodblade's tag-team partner in a doubles battle. Really glad that whole situation was over with and she was on our side now. She cleared her throat and turned to me. "But Terra, why in the world did you warn her about that vehicle? We could have had our little assassin problem solved right then and there."

"I know," I said, rubbing my arm, "but I just couldn't bring myself to be that callous." I paused. "Did you see the look in her eyes? She was scared. I don't think she knows how she got here. She needs help just like the rest of us."

Qrrog nodded. "I think so, too," he said. "Would be a shame to lose such a good assassin, anyway. Seems like she's got some skills that could be put to better use."

"Oh, you two and your incorrigible altruism," Hesketh said, waving a hand. "All right, I'll be here to make sure you don't die in the process of trying to befriend your killer."

"I knew I could count on ye, Granny," Qrrog said.

I laughed, but my laughter was cut short when I happened to glance up at a nearby billboard and saw that it was moving. And it wasn't an electronic billboard. The letters in a bail agency ad were rearranging themselves, morphing into a new message:

 _Seek your moogle and bangaa friends at the final resting place_

 _Where in a starship, with a handshake, two nations won a race_

I stared. Just as soon as I had read the entire message, it was gone and the ad returned. "Did… either of you see that?" I asked, pointing to the billboard.

"They're called pigeons, love," Qrrog said. "Odd that they'd surprise ye, since they seem to be everywhere in this town."

I snorted. "No… I think it was a message from Ultima. About how to find Winn and Vasily. 'Seek your moogle and bangaa friends at the final resting place, where in a starship, with a handshake, two nations won a race.'"

"So Ultima's a poet," Hesketh said. "Bully for her. What do you suppose it means?"

I tapped my chin. "It means she's catering to my geeky side. And it's nice of her to not make these terribly hard." I turned to my clanmates and spread my arms like a mad scientist explaining her latest experiment. "Last century in this world, when we first developed spaceflight, there was this thing called the Space Race, a technological competition between my country and another country, the Soviet Union, to see who could do cool stuff in space first. Most people consider the United States to have won the race when they landed men on the moon, something the Soviets never accomplished."

Now I began pacing back and forth. All I needed was a lab coat and stock thunder sound effects and it'd be perfect. "But there was a lesser-remembered epilogue. A few years later, a mission was flown called Apollo-Soyuz in which American and Soviet spacecraft docked in space, and the crewmembers of both nations spent time helping each other conduct research. I've always considered that the real end to the Space Race—these technological giants using their vast power and resources to finally get along instead of compete. And the crews did, indeed, shake hands at docking."

"Heartwarming indeed," Hesketh said flatly. "Do you mean to say we're going to the stars, then?"

I shook my head. "The riddle said the 'final resting place'. The American command module splashed down in the ocean and is currently displayed at the California Science Center, which is right here in L.A." I paused. "Unless Ultima was referring to the Soyuz descent module housed in a museum in Russia, in which case she's horrible."

Qrrog laughed. "Well, might as well try the nearest one first!"

"Right," I said with a nod. "We can easily get there on the train and a few buses. Hesketh, would you like to come with us to the pawn shop? Our gil is worthless here, but since it's made of some valuable metals, I think we should be able to get pretty good money for it."

"Oh—" The nu mou rummaged through the bags on her belt and pulled out a few crystals. "Do you think they'd take any magickal implements? I know magick doesn't work in this stupid world, but some of the materials these are made from are quite valuable in their own right."

"It's worth a shot," I said as we started walking. "Are you sure you don't mind? I know some of those can be pretty expensive back home."

Hesketh shook her head. "There's no use in holding on to things I can't even use in this world. Good thing my mace is still nothing to be trifled with." She hefted the weighty weapon with a bit of a wicked grin. "Now then, what's all this about Ultima and world-threads? Don't spare me the details, this sounds like serious stuff!"

On our way to the pawn shop, we explained the entire situation to her, including the bit about this viera assassin probably being who I had seen outside the fortress the other night. Thankfully, the shop was open this time, and we actually got a few hundred dollars from all of our gil combined, plus as many of Hesketh's implements as she could spare.

From there, we were off to the Science Center, via train and bus. Qrrog was as excited as ever to be using genuine Earth transportation, while Hesketh grumbled but I could tell she was still secretly curious. And we kept an eye out for that viera, but she didn't pop up again. Still, I knew she'd likely have ways to track us. I was trying to figure out if that was comforting.


	6. Chapter 6

"Well, now what?" Hesketh asked as we stepped off the bus at the Science Center. The massive museum loomed in front of us, teeming with tourists, families with small children, and school field trip groups. "How are we supposed to find Winnifrith and Vasily in all this mess?"

"Start looking, I guess," I said. "If I know them, they'll be inside, gawking at stuff. And the stuff they'd most likely be gawking at is mechanical. And by far the biggest mechanical draw in this museum is the Space Shuttle."

"Then let's go!" Qrrog said, starting forward.

I put a hand on his arm. "Hold up," I said. "They can't get in to see the Space Shuttle. It requires advance tickets. But maybe we can start with the Apollo-Soyuz command module. That was what Ultima's clue was referring to, after all."

I had been to the Science Center before, but my companions' eyes widened as they looked up and around at the busy, hands-on museum. I smiled and let them soak it in. Hesketh realized she was dawdling and cleared her throat. "Well, no time to waste!" she said, waving us forward with her staff. "Terra, lead the way!"

"Yes, ma'am!" I said, although I couldn't help but play tour guide as we made our way toward the command module.

"Kupopo!" said a familiar voice. "This is kupo amazing! Can you believe this thing really went to space, kupo?"

"Aye, it'sss quite a tale!" another familiar voice said. "Makesss me wonder if we could do the same with Ivalician technology!"

"Winn! Vasily!" I shouted, weaving through the crowd to get to them.

Vasily turned around, Winn on his shoulder. "Terra?" the bangaa said. "How—what—"

"Long story," I said. "How are you guys enjoying Earth?"

"It's not a long story at all," Hesketh harrumphed. "Qrrog's parents are malicious morons. They're the reason we're all here."

Winn folded her arms. "That doesn't surprise me, kupo."

As Hesketh explained the situation to them, I noticed a familiar shimmering around the two and knew what I had to do. Reaching out my hands, I plunged into the magick surrounding them and fixed the world-threads. They snapped back into resonance with a satisfied hum.

"And you've got an assssassssin after you, ter boot?" Vasily was asking Qrrog.

"Ehh, not so loud," I said with a sheepish grin. "Probably not a good idea to talk about assassins with all these people around. Earth is a little more skittish about that kind of thing than Ivalice."

Vasily snapped his jaw shut. "Whoops, sssorry."

"Well, now what, kupo?" Winn asked. "This definitely isn't all of our clan."

"I'm sure Ultima will send me another sign soon," I said. I looked around at displays, trying to find more letters rearranging, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I rubbed my chin. "Well… until then, how about I show you around this place? I think you would love it."

"I'm already impressssed," Vasily said, "ssso I wouldn't mind ssseein' more!"

I'm happy to report that we went through the entire museum, just like I'd always wanted to do. My friends soaked up everything I could tell them about the state of science and technology on Earth and how things here differed from Ivalice. By afternoon, we were exhausted and happy.

"That was awesome," I said as we wandered toward the exit. "Thanks so much for doing that with me, guys."

"Our pleasure," Qrrog said. "We should find more museums in Ivalice!"

"Agreed," I said, and then I stopped because words on a banner were rearranging to form another message:

 _If you seek the viera and the gria_

 _They may be on a spree at the galleria_

"Aww, this one's not about nerd trivia this time," I said to my clanmates once I'd told them the message.

"Very clever of Ultima to rhyme 'gria' with 'galleria', though," Hesketh said dryly. "She should stick to her day job."

"But there are probably at least a dozen art galleries around here, kupo!" Winn said. "Are we gonna have to search each one, kupo?"

I pondered this as we went back outside and sat in the shade of a few gnarled trees. "Maybe not…" I said. "The word 'spree' might be a clue. It makes me think of 'shopping spree', which makes me think Ultima wasn't referring to just any galleria, but a Galleria."

Not being able to hear when I was capitalizing words in my head, Qrrog said, "And what might the difference be between 'galleria' and 'galleria'?"

"On Earth," I explained, "'galleria' is often used in the names of shopping centers. Specifically, malls. And there are two malls around here with 'Galleria' in their names." I grinned. "One of them isn't a mall anymore. But the Glendale Galleria is still a mall, and it's huge. Saskia and Coele would have a field day in there, with all those shops, especially if they figured out how to exchange their gil for Earth money."

Vasily grimaced. "Women," he grumbled.

"You know what this means," I said, striking an epic pose. "Time to hit the mall."

* * *

I'd only been to the Glendale Galleria once when I was a teenager, so I was surprised to see they'd done some renovations since then. Excellent—even more to explore.

"I'm amazed you can even find your way around this place," Hesketh said as we stepped inside. The nu mou craned her neck up at the second and third levels.

"That's part of the fun," I said with an impish grin. "Nothing like getting lost in an insanely large mall. We can eat dinner at the food court!"

My husband patted his stomach. "I'm lookin' forward to that."

Of course, finding Saskia and Coele would probably not be easy. We decided it was best to split into groups, circle around the mall, and meet back up at the food court. Winn and Vasily decided to scout out the top level, Qrrog and I took the bottom floor, and Hesketh grumbled off by herself as she boarded the escalator to the second level.

Hesketh ended up finding them. The Sage showed back up at the food court with our two friends in tow, each carrying shopping bags.

"I couldn't help myself!" Coele said. "So many cute clothes!"

"We, ahem, may have gotten carried away," Saskia said as I fixed the world-threads around them. "Don't worry, Hesketh explained everything." Her eyes narrowed as she looked down at my husband—the only one in our clan he has to look up to. "You are never letting your parents stay on Worgen Island again." It was definitely an order, not a request.

Qrrog saluted. "Aye aye, ma'am."

Coele squealed as she plopped her bags down on a nearby chair and began rummaging through them. "Terra, you have to see what we got! So many amazing sales! At least, I think they were amazing sales. I guess it's kinda hard to tell when you're not used to this currency."

I laughed as she showed me the clothes she and Saskia had gotten. "I'm glad you girls had fun," I said.

"I know it's silly, but I'm kinda sad you found us so soon," Coele said as she held up a blouse. "I figure I can alter this in the back to let my wings through," she added. "Anyway, it looks like there's a whole bunch of this place that Saskia and I haven't even seen yet!"

I grinned. "I can fix that."

So we spent the rest of the day shopping, much to Vasily's chagrin. Well, he brightened up considerably when he found an electronics store. All in all, though, we had great fun just mulling about the mall, laughing about all of the weird things Earth had. It was the kind of thing I wish I'd done when I was a teenager, except I never had friends like this when I was a teenager.

Afterward, we had a nice big dinner in the food court, and then we managed to find a cheap motel relatively nearby. I figured another clue from Ultima would come in due time. For now, I was exhausted.

"I have to admit," I said to my husband as we got settled into our room, "I'm having a crazy lot of fun with you guys. This is basically all the things I'd ever wanted to do with friends."

He smiled as he sat on the bed. "Well, good, 'cause we're yer friends."

"And you're the best friends I've ever had," I said. "I think this is going really well. Only Jihl's missing now, and then we can go back to Ivalice!"

Qrrog nodded. "Aye… hopefully me parents haven't been causin' too much trouble while we've been gone."

My smile faded. "Right…" That was tough to think about. But it was definitely one of the reasons I was doing this. We were the Pirate King and Queen, and we had to defend our turf and our subjects from people like Horgan and Iretha.

I moved to the window, stared out at the busy street below, and looked up and around before shutting the curtains. Qrrog must have noticed the grim look on my face when I turned back to him, because he asked, "Thinkin' about that assassin?"

"Yeah… I don't want her getting to you," I said, holding my arms. "And it tears me up that I can't do anything about it right now. I wish I could just cast a good strong Barrier so I'd know you'd be okay—but I can't."

"Hey now, I'll be all right," Qrrog said, putting an arm around my shoulders. "Like I said before, I be deceptively hard to kill, even without the help o' magick. Besides, we haven't seen her since this mornin'. Maybe she couldn't follow us."

"I hope not," I said. "I don't know if I'm going to be able to sleep tonight."

Qrrog put a hand on my head. "Sweetheart," he said, "I keep a battleaxe by me bed. Anybody who thinks they can sneak up on me in me sleep is gonna learn why they're mistaken."

I gave him a small smile. "Fair point," I said. "But I'll keep an ear out, too."

"You just get yer rest," Qrrog said. "Yer the one fixin' the world-threads."

I did finally manage to get to sleep that night, although it was not peaceful. Every time I started to drop off I'd have a sudden bout of fear, remembering just why sleep was so hard. But eventually I drifted off. I knew I had to have faith in my husband, and probably in myself too. That second one was more difficult.


	7. Chapter 7

_A fair above the sea, where a wheel touches the sky_

 _This is where your clan Dragoon you will espy_

"Very straightforward," I said as we convened at the continental breakfast counter in the motel lobby, still staring at the sugar packet where the message had formed.

"Was that sarcasm?" Hesketh asked.

"Of course," I said. "A fair above the sea, I'm not sure what that could refer to. But a wheel touching the sky sounds like a Ferris wheel. I hope we don't have to go to Disney California Adventure, it's way too expensive."

"Is that above the sea?" Qrrog asked.

"Aye, does Earth have some sorta amazin' sky resorts yer not tellin' us about?" Vasily asked. "'Cause all I keep seein' when I look up are those tiny little excuses fer airships!"

I bit into my Danish. They were out of both the ones with jam and cream cheese in the center, so I had to take a plain one, but I couldn't be picky at this point. "Nope, nothing like that," I said. "I'm trying to think of what could be considered a fair above the sea. A cruise ship, maybe? But there aren't any cruise ships with Ferris wheels on them. Also those are technically still in the sea, not above it."

"What about a pier?" Saskia asked as she sipped her hot cocoa. "Those are above the sea, yes?"

I blinked. "Of course—the Santa Monica Pier! It's the biggest one in L.A. and it's got a Ferris wheel! It's also a prime fishing spot and I know how Jihl loves fishing!" I held out my hand for a group high-five. "Great thinking, Saskia! Okay, let's pick up our Dragoon and get home, guys!"

"I'm just so glad we got to go to the mall first!" Coele said. Her shopping bags had not left her side. I suspected they were now surgically attached.

* * *

Turns out Santa Monica Pier is filled with even weirder people than usual on Halloween, so we fit right in. I wasn't sure what would happen once we found Jihl - if maybe we'd get sent right back as soon as I fixed the world-threads attached to him – but we all decided that getting home ASAP was ultimately more important than sight-seeing, now that we had the last clue.

Although, considering the pier juts out in a straight line from the beach, we did pretty much see everything along the way as we wandered above deeper waters, scanning the weathered railings for a familiar revgaji.

"You do think he'd be fishing, right?" I said as we wandered past the Ferris wheel. "I hope he's not riding the roller coaster."

"Maybe he's buyin' a souvenir for Saskia," Qrrog said with a wink, nudging the Sniper.

She snorted and folded her arms. "He knows I am above such tacky bric-a-brac."

"I found him!" Winn shouted from above us. Although she's the smallest clan member, she definitely makes up for it with the ability to fly. "That way, kupo!" She pointed to the opposite side of the pier. "Hey, Jihl! Over here, kupopo!"

We all followed her, and I kept my eyes on my Qrrog's back as he easily gained us a wide berth through the crowds. Suddenly I heard a whispered "Sorry" and a white shape rushed past me.

As soon as I realized what was going on, I lunged for her and grabbed only air. "Stop!" I yelled, diving for the assassin in a desperate attempt to save my husband.

The next moments were a blur. I hit the pier and heard the singing of metal above me as a blade was drawn, and I thrust up my staff to try to catch her. Again I met thin air, and I rolled over to see the viera's blade parried away from Qrrog's back by a long lance.

"I don't know what's goin' on," Jihl said as he spun his weapon and pointed it at her, "but I don't like it."

"Good to see you too, matey," Qrrog said as he drew his axe.

The viera plunged into the crowd of onlookers—and nearly ran into the point of an arrow. Saskia narrowed her eyes at the pale-furred member of her race as her grip on her bowstring tensed. "I do not appreciate what you are doing," the Sniper said.

The assassin's golden eyes widened. In a flash, she jabbed at Saskia with one of her blades—and then someone grabbed her ears and yanked her off balance.

"Just be glad I don't have my magitek armor with me, kupo," Winn said as she gave the viera's ears another fierce tug while the woman tried to bat her away, "or you'd be toast already! Kupopo!"

"Don't move!" someone shouted, and the crowd backed away considerably. As Qrrog helped me to my feet I saw why—a squadron of police officers had surrounded us, staring at us down the barrels of their pistols.

I froze, naturally. It wasn't just that I knew I couldn't cast any bullet-shielding spells here—I was trying to help the police do their job. We're law-abiding, goody-two-shoes pirates, after all.

The viera, on the other hand, decided to try to break out of the ring of officers. Two of them tackled her and a third removed her blades before handcuffing her.

"What's going on here?" another officer asked us. "Are those real weapons?" She was a Hispanic woman whose dark eyes kept darting from one clan member to the next. I figured we did look pretty outlandish, even by Halloween standards, and she was probably wondering how in the world Winn was hovering.

"That viera tried to kill me mate," Jihl said, pointing to Qrrog and then to the assassin.

"She's been tryin' ter kill him for the passst two days!" Vasily added.

The officer glanced back at the viera, who was being tugged away to a police car parked closer to the beach. I guessed the police probably maintained a presence here on Halloween, just in case someone tried anything crazy. It was a wise bit of forethought. "What about your weapons?" she asked. "Do you know it's against the law to carry a bladed weapon like that?"

"I didn't know," Qrrog said, "and I'm sorry, ma'am. We, eh, just got 'ere."

"Well, take those things back home," the officer said. "Why was she trying to kill you?"

"I don't rightly know, is the thing," Qrrog said. "She just showed up all of a sudden and tried to off me. I was hopin' to get some answers outta her."

"I'd like some answers, too," the officer said. She waved her gun for us to follow her. "Let's go down to the station and we can get this all sorted out."

"O' course, ma'am," Qrrog said, and we fell in line with the police.

A lot of times, in movies, you see the roguish, witty heroes evading law enforcement just so they won't have to answer questions. I always thought that was bunk. The police were there to help, and it was our job to help them help us. We certainly hadn't done anything wrong, except for a few of us toting bladed weapons, which so far most people had ignored. I'd been living in Ivalice for so long, and had so much else on my mind, that I kind of forgot that California has some pretty strict laws about that kind of thing.

"You know, kupo," Winn said as she, Qrrog and I were shuffled into the back of a police car, "this is the most excitement we've had all year!" She sat in my lap, as Qrrog took up two seats. "And just when I thought life on Worgen Island might be boring, kupo."

"Well, that's the thing with us," I said with a chuckle. "Just when we think we've got everything all figured out, life comes along and slaps us in the face. Sorry you guys didn't get to see more of the pier."

"We can come back later," Qrrog said. "I'd really like to know who sent that assassin after me."

At the police station, we all sat in the front while the officers took care of various protocol. We hadn't seen the viera anywhere—she was probably in a cell in the back. While we waited, I fixed the world-threads around Jihl.

"Mighty strange stuff goin' on, mate," Jihl said as the magick around him dissipated. "Remind me never to mess with Grimoires."

"Never mess with Grimoires," I said with a smirk. I paused. "Well—now what?"

"What do you mean?" Coele asked.

"I found all of my clan members," I said. "I fixed all of the world-threads. I—I completed my mission… right? Shouldn't we be going back now?" I was starting to feel anxious. Ultima hadn't said anything about this part. I sort of figured she'd take care of the next step, the way she kept dropping clues, but what if there was something I was missing? I mentally went over our dream-conversation, trying to figure out if I hadn't done something right, but everything seemed to check out.

"By the way," one officer said as he leaned over the desk at us, "you can take those costumes off now. I know it's Halloween and all, but it makes it kind of hard to take you seriously when you're, like, an orange crocodile with a Cockney accent."

Vasily lifted an eyebrow at him. "It'sss too much trouble ter try ter take all thisss off. Trussst me."

The officer chuckled. "All right, all right," he said before turning back to the computer, muttering something about extreme geeks.

The door to the back opened, and out stepped the woman officer we had spoken to back at the pier. "Come with me, please," she said, gesturing for us to follow her.

As I thought, in a cell sat the viera, her ears low as she stared at the opposite wall. Her shoulders sagged, and she did not bother to look at us as we shuffled in, although one ear twitched in our direction.

"Who sent ye after me?" Qrrog asked. "I'm mighty curious to know who's got a bounty on me head."

She glanced up at him. "Your parents," she said quietly.

My husband's eyes widened and he stepped back. I caught his arm and squeezed it, not being able to imagine what he was going through. We all knew his parents were unlikeable people, but to think they'd stoop to sending an assassin after their own son… "I'm sorry," I said to him.

"So—so'm I," he choked, putting a hand to his face.

Saskia stepped forward. "Why?" she asked coolly. "Do they want his throne?"

The other viera nodded. "The pay was good, so—" She winced. "Go on. Leave me here. I've failed in my mission."

I took a deep breath. "We can't leave you here," I said. "You're not from this world. You're not supposed to be here. You only got mixed up in this because the world-threads—" My breath caught in my throat. The air around her glistened with magick. All at once I understood, and the more I thought about it the more it made sense. I was tasked with finding all of my clan members—even the ones who hadn't joined the clan yet.

Patting Qrrog's arm, I stepped toward the bars. "I'm going to help you," I said to the viera. "Can you trust me?"

She shook her head. "No, of course not."

"That's understandable," I said, "but I'm your only shot at getting back home. Come here for a second."

At that idea, she swallowed hard. Looking around at my clanmates and the very confused police officer, she seemed to weigh her options before standing up and slowly making her way over to the bars.

As soon as she was within range, I reached out my hands and plunged them into the warped dimensional strings around her. Again I was presented with all of the possible realities I could create. Again I shunned them, knowing that doing the right thing was more important than anything else. Besides, I already had everything I could ever wish for, right here with my clan.

This time, as soon as I sorted the world-threads back into place, their hum turned into a sonorous roar like that of a choir a thousand voices strong. Both the viera and I staggered back as the magick around her did not disappear, but grew stronger. It rippled through the bars of the jail cell and frayed the air, and turned the space between the two of us into a vortex fringed with energy.

The officer let out a yelp. "Whoa, what's going on?!" she asked.

I smiled at her. "We're going home," I said. "Thanks for your help. We won't cause any more trouble." Then I turned to the viera and asked, "What's your name?"

"K-Katje," she said, staring at the vortex in disbelief.

"Katje, grab my hand," I said, holding it out to her while I extended the other one to my clanmates. Qrrog took hold of it and everyone else clung to him and each other.

Again Katje thought for a moment. Then, with that same look of scared desperation in her eyes that I had seen the first time, she took my hand and held tight.

Not letting go, I stepped into the vortex with a smile on my face. I had completed Ultima's quest.


	8. Chapter 8

Unceremoniously, I tumbled into someplace dark, cold, and wet. When I looked up and saw a clouded-over night sky, I realized that Ivalice's and Earth's rotation times probably did not match up, so their day and night cycles would not be synchronous.

But we were back home, and everyone had made it with me—including Katje. As we picked ourselves back up, I saw that we were behind a stack of crates and barrels outside of the fortress. Torchlight flickered on wet stone nearby. "All right," I said, pushing up my sleeves, "let's go give Qrrog's parents a piece of our minds—"

Saskia wrapped a long arm around me and pulled me back. "Hush," she whispered, pointing past the stack of cargo as two pirates marched by, seemingly on patrol. They had a harsher look than anyone I remembered from the fortress, and I realized they didn't look familiar.

"Hah, can you believe those two finally got Worgen Island!" the gria laughed to her hume companion. "King Horgan the Devourer and Queen Black-Tide Iretha! About time, ain't it?"

"Aye, now we'll all feast on the sea's spoils!" the bulky man beside her said with a laugh, grinning to show his rotted teeth. "Especially with those war machines we found in the workshop! The coast won't stand a chance!"

I glanced over at Winn. Her fists were clenched and her whiskers bristled in rage.

As the two retreated, talking about all of the plans they had for terrorizing Jylland under their new king and queen, I turned back to my clanmates and Katje. "Anybody have a plan?" I asked. "Sounds like they didn't waste any time once they realized Qrrog was missing."

My heart sank to see my husband shake his head slowly, staring at the pavement. "Sweetheart," I said, moving over to him. "I'm so sorry. You definitely don't deserve parents like that."

"I just—I'm their own son," he breathed. "How could they do this…"

Katje rubbed her arm, but paused when she realized her blades had been returned to her. She patted the weapons affectionately, then looked back to her erstwhile target. "I am not sure if this helps," she said, "but they hired me shortly after they escaped from prison. At that point they did not know for sure if it was you who had assumed the title of Pirate King."

Qrrog glanced up at her, but said nothing as his gaze drooped again.

I hugged him. "What they did was rotten," I said. "And I'm so sorry. I'll do whatever I can to make it up to you, including helping you get your throne back."

Slowly, he reached up and patted my back. "It wasn't yer fault, love," he said. "You don't owe me anythin'."

"Maybe I don't technically owe you anything," I said, "but I'm your wife. And that means it's my solemn duty to be a better family to you than what you ran away from. Just… just like you've been for me."

His grip on me tightened and he took a deep breath. "I'm so glad I have you," he said.

"Me too," I said. "Now let's go take care of your dysfunctional family so you can go back to enjoying your functional one."

Saskia nodded. "Right. Hopefully the Judges have not yet arrived. They will not be expecting a hostile greeting, so we must secure the fortress before their coming."

"I swear, kupo, if any one of those filthy pirates tries to pilot any of my mechs… kupopo!" Winn hissed, making threatening motions like she was pretending to deck someone with a spanner. Suddenly she paused and her ears perked. "That's it, kupo! We can use the _Sylph_ to get to Qrrog's parents without being seen!"

"Good plan!" Coele said. "Except for how do we get to the _Sylph_ without being seen?"

"I can help you," Katje said to Winn. "We can circle around the eastern quays. There's a door to the workshop past there, correct?"

Winn folded her arms. "Just how well do you know this place, kupo?"

The viera smiled bittersweetly. "Well enough."

"You stole the Grimoire, didn't you," Jihl said.

"If I had known what sort of trouble it would cause," Katje said, "I would not have. And I am sorry. Let me make up for it now. Please."

Winn clenched her vest and thought for a moment. "Oh—okay, kupo," she said. "I can't stand not knowing if my machines are okay, kupo."

Katje nodded. "Stay close," she said. Fluidly, she moved to the stack of cargo, watched for guards, and then with a flick of her wrist motioned for Winn to follow her.

As the two snuck out of sight, I put an arm around my husband. "Well, that explains a lot," I said. "She had to have been the one skulking around the rooftops the other night. She probably overheard you and me talking about the Grimoire, and about me casting a Barrier. That also explains what your dad said to me right before he opened the Grimoire on me. They figured they'd get rid of me so they could get to you." I scowled. "Like I'd ever let that happen."

Qrrog nodded. "I just… can't believe it…" he sighed.

Jihl put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, mate," he said. "Learning your parents are scum is never easy for anybody. But whatever you do, don't take it on yourself, all right? You're the greatest blasted pirate I know. You saw their mistakes and you vowed to do better, and you have. You're an inspiration to us all."

"I agree," Hesketh said with a nod. "Take it from someone who used to work for Bloodblade—and briefly for your parents. You showed me a better way. You gave your parents that same chance, they didn't take it, and that's their fault."

I put my hands on my hips. "You're Qrrog Squallhammer, the Pirate King," I said, "and it's time to show these people why. You can do it, and we'll be there beside you the whole way."

"Besssides, Tubby," Vasily said, folding his arms as he leaned against a wall, "sssometimes the best way ter take care of yer parentsss is ter throw 'em in prison. It'sss called tough love."

Qrrog tried to suppress a snort. "Aye, yer right, Scales," he said, perking up with a smile. "Sorry, mateys. Guess I got a little down on meself, there."

"You're allowed to," I said, squeezing his hand. "Things like this are tough. But I think you're handling it admirably."

"Thank ye," he said. "I'm not lettin' me throne go to two heartless villains. Let's set things right again." As his smile widened, he pulled us all into a big hug. "I'm so grateful fer me real family."

We hugged him back. I was also grateful for my family—and grateful that now the Scions officially decided to let me stay with them forever.

"Psst, kupo! Over here!" Winn said from behind us.

I turned around. Clinging to the wall was the _Sylph_ , with Winn ducking her head out of the cockpit and Katje clinging to the chassis. "Whoa, that thing can climb walls?" I asked.

"Let's just say I designed it to operate a lot like Katje here, kupo," Winn said with a grin.

"We bring ill news," Katje said. "We espied an Archadian vessel docked in the harbor—under heavy guard. Winnifrith told me you were expecting a visit from the Archadian Judges. It seems they met with the wrong welcoming party."

My stomach twisted. "Do you know what happened to them?" I asked.

"I doubt me parents would kill 'em on sight," Qrrog said. "Most likely they'll try to hold the Judges fer ransom and see how much they can squeeze outta the Empire. Let's check the dungeons."

I nodded. "Thanks for retrieving the _Sylph_ ," I said to the moogle and the viera. "But uh, how are we going to use it to get all of us inside? That's a one-person cockpit."

"No worries, kupo," Winn said. "I can modify the cloaking to cover a small area around the mech. As long as you guys stay close, you'll remain unseen, kupo."

We clustered around the magitek armor, Winn turned the cloaking on, Hesketh put up a Barrier just for good measure, and then we moved out into the open. Well, first Coele and Saskia had to stash their mall purchases somewhere safe, naturally. "I'll come back for you, I promise," Coele whispered to her bags of cute clothes.

As silently as possible, we crept across the harbor and into the fortress. The _Sylph_ was a small vehicle, designed with speed and stealth in mind, so it could fit past the larger doorways and corridors in the complex, although things were still a little crowded with all of us swarming around it. If any pirate got too close, Hesketh would shoot a Sleep spell at them.

In this way we made it down to the dungeons. The cells were full of Qrrog's own subjects, the ones who refused to defect to Horgan and Iretha, although most of them were asleep by now. In the two furthest cells were a couple of humes wearing silver and black armor, their elaborate helmets resting by their sides. One of them, a woman in her thirties with close-cropped black hair, seemed to be sleeping, while the other, a slightly older man who'd let his blond hair grow out a little more than when I last saw him, sat against the wall of his cell, hunched over in concentration.

"Basch," I called as Hesketh took out the guards with various status-ailment spells. Sometimes I think she enjoys turning people into toads a little too much.

The Judge Magister's head jerked up and he looked around in confusion. "Who's there?" he called.

I forgot we were invisible. "Winn, cut the cloaking," I said. "We shouldn't have any more trouble down here."

Basch's eyes widened as we became visible. "Terra?" He stood up, cradling his helmet under his arm. "Qrrog—what's going on? Why were we imprisoned?"

"I'm so sorry," Qrrog said. "Me parents—sent us away and took over Worgen Island. But we're back now." He frowned. "And they need a heapin' helpin' o' justice."

"I'm good at justice," Basch said with a yawn as Katje, who had taken the dungeon keys from the sleeping guards, unlocked his cell and the other Judge's.

The woman Judge was awake by this point and she staggered to her feet, rubbing the sleep from her face. "Where did you go?" she asked. "We worried you had been killed."

"They tried to send me back to my world," I said while Qrrog set his subjects free and Jihl and Coele went to retrieve their weapons. "And ended up sending my entire clan with me and causing a whole mess of trouble with the world-threads. But don't worry, I fixed it."

The woman's dark eyes narrowed in a smile. "It doesn't surprise me," she said. "It's good to see all of you again. I'm Judge Atha. I'm not sure if you remember, but I was the one who helped out in the Great Land Festival blizzard a few years back."

"Ah—I do remember that," I said as Coele handed the Judges their swords. Back then I hadn't seen Atha without her helmet, though, so it was nice to get better acquainted with her. "It's good to see you again, Your Honor. Thanks for coming. I promise as soon as we get this fiasco sorted out, you and the Judge Magister will receive a better welcome."

"I've told Atha how the Pirate King is legendary for his feasts," Basch said with a smile as he buckled his sword around his waist. "What are your plans from here?"

"This place is crawlin' with me parents' goons," Qrrog said. "And me parents need to be arrested."

Basch nodded and turned to the other Judge. "Atha, why don't you lead Qrrog's men and women against any hostile forces?"

"Yes, Your Honor," Atha said with a bow.

"Count me in!" Coele said, drawing her sword.

"And me!" Vasily said, pulling his hand-cannon from its holster on his back.

Jihl and Hesketh wanted to help out too, which left me, Qrrog, Basch, Saskia, and Katje to make the trip up to the guest rooms under cloaking. When the corridors grew too narrow to fit the _Sylph_ , Winn stayed behind with it and the rest of us snuck the old-fashioned way.

As we thought, Qrrog's parents' guest room was guarded—although frankly, I was just glad they hadn't taken over our room yet. Of course, that was nothing Saskia couldn't take care of with a few poison-tipped arrows. The guards were out cold before they could even yell.

"Masterful work," Katje said to the other viera as Saskia notched another arrow into her longbow, just in case. "Am I to assume you are a Sniper?"

"Indeed," Saskia said with a nod as we moved down the hall, toward the door. "What about yourself?"

"Assassin," Katje said. "Our two job classes are not dissimilar."

"This is true," Saskia said. "It seems you have chosen to concentrate on close-range combat. I am curious as to how you perform with a combination of stealth and bladework. That is not an art I am well trained in."

Katje smiled modestly. "I shall have to demonstrate sometime," she said.

As we approached the door, I could hear talking from the other side. "What about Windvale?" Horgan said. "Haven't raided that place in a bit. It's overdue. Always good fer food, it was."

"Aye, and fer showin' off those warmechs," Iretha said with a laugh. "But first, we contact Emperor Larsa and tell him he's gonna have to give us his entire treasury if he wants to see his precious Judge Magister again."

Basch frowned and moved to the door with Qrrog. My husband wore a pained expression – likely still hurt by his parents' betrayal – but he took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and knocked, trying to make it sound casual.

His mother opened the door. "Aye, whaddya want—ah!" She stumbled back.

"You've overstayed yer welcome," Qrrog said flatly. "Time to go."

Basch drew his sword. "And no one holds me hostage and gets away with it," he added. "You two are under arrest. Horgan the Devourer and Black-Tide Iretha—I should have guessed you two would be behind this." His blade blazed with dark magick. "Time to put you away."

"How—what—" Horgan stammered, jumping to his feet and reaching for one of his knives.

"The book, you fool, use the book!" his wife said as she grabbed her own blade and slashed at the Judge Magister. He lunged forward with his own sword and the two met in a burst of shadowy energy.

A wicked glint came into Horgan's eyes as he lifted the Grimoire from a nearby table. Saskia shot an arrow at him, but he used the thick tome to shield himself, the arrowhead plunging into the leather binding. Then he pulled the book open. I bristled, waiting to see what would happen.

The pages remained blank and lifeless, like it was just any old volume, and I grinned triumphantly. Ultima had kept her promise. "Nice try," I said, "but no." I thrust out my staff. "Petrify!"

Horgan's hubris turned to confusion, and then dismay was the last expression frozen on his snout as he turned to stone.

Meanwhile, Basch easily showed why he is a Judge Magister. With a blast of dark magick, he sent Iretha's sword flying. "I'll make sure you never threaten these coasts again," he said. His own blade roiled with power as he prepared to cast the arrest spell.

"You stupid boy!" Iretha growled at Qrrog. "You've ruined everything! You're supposed to be dead!" In a last desperate attempt, she drew a shortsword and leaped for him.

Two other blades parried the sword away, and their wielder pointed the weapons at Iretha's face. "I am not one for witty remarks," Katje said as she stared down the female seeq. "Just know that your son is twice the pirate you or your husband ever will be. My loyalty is to him now."

"Double-crosser!" Iretha hissed. "When we get outta prison, we're gonna hunt you down and—" She never got to finish her threat, as Basch's Judge's magick engulfed her and Horgan, spiriting them away to Archades to await a proper trial.

Basch let out a sigh and leaned against the wall. "I'm glad that's over," he said.

"Real sorry about that, matey," Qrrog said. "I never shoulda trusted 'em."

"They were your family," Basch said. "I cannot fault you for being kind to your family. I am just sorry they did not return the sentiment."

"That's okay," I said, putting an arm around my husband. "His _real_ family more than makes up for it." Qrrog smiled and squeezed my shoulders.

"Your Honor!" Atha's voice fizzled over the communication device on Basch's belt. "We've secured the fortress! We've rounded up all of Horgan's and Iretha's followers and are detaining them in the dungeons!"

"Excellent work, Judge Atha," Basch said. "We'll meet you down there in a minute."

"You've had a rough time o' things," Qrrog said. "Won't you and the lady stay another day or two?" He grinned. "After all, we oughtta hold a feast to celebrate me gettin' me throne back."

Basch smiled wearily. "If you have any spare guest rooms, I would gladly stay the night. I could use a more comfortable sleep than was afforded me in that cell. In the morning, Atha and I will check our schedules and see if we cannot spare another couple of days."

"We did it," I breathed. "I'm so glad. You guys are awesome!"

"We cannot take all of the credit," Saskia said with a kind smile. "You are the one who mended the world-threads and brought us back home. Thank you, Terra. You are a valuable friend and addition to my clan." She paused. "Ah, speaking of additions to the clan…" She turned to Katje, who was now looking a little lost. "Might you consider joining Clan Excelsior?" the Sniper asked the Assassin. "I like your work, and I think you could put it to better use than accepting jobs from the likes of Horgan and Iretha."

I grinned. My hunch about how to fulfill Ultima's request was correct.

Katje's eyes widened. "R-really?" she asked. "I've never been in a—" She bit her lip and looked aside. "Must I live on Worgen Island if I join?"

"Well, it makes sense to have all of the clan members living in one place," Saskia said, "especially one so comfortable as this." She tilted her head. "What troubles you about the idea?"

Katje bit her knuckle. "My husband and children live in Moorabella," she said. "My husband is ill and cannot work, so I began taking mercenary jobs full-time…"

"No trouble at all," Saskia said. "There is more than enough room for them here. We can fly to Moorabella by airship and pick them up. Is this all right, Qrrog?"

My husband blinked. I'm sure he was thinking the same thing as me—usually I'm the one who has to beg Saskia to let someone join the clan. "Oh—o' course, Longears!" he said. "Kids would love this place! Especially viera kids! There're all sorts o' places fer them to explore!"

A nervous smile spread over Katje's face. "Oh, I hope they are not too much trouble," she said. "They are good children, but they are rather… adventuresome."

"Not a bad trait to have, in my book," I said. "Speaking of books…" I wandered over to the Grimoire and picked it up, tugging the arrow out of the cover and returning it to Saskia. "What do we do with this thing? It's not going to send me anywhere anymore, that's for sure."

"Let's keep it in the vaults," Qrrog said. "I'm still a mite concerned about it fallin' into the wrong hands."

"I promise I will not steal it this time," Katje said.

Basch yawned again. "Forgive me if I sleep in tomorrow," he said. "This has been a rather… taxing day."

"No worries," I said. "Let's go see how Atha and the rest of the clan are doing, and then we can get the both of you set up with some guest rooms." As we returned to the hallway, I realized that my biological clock was going to need some major adjusting, considering it was the middle of the day back on Earth.

Thinking about my brief time there, I looked around at my clan and something dawned on me. "Hey, guys…" I said. "Thanks for hanging out in Los Angeles with me. I know it sounds kind of corny, but the places we went were actually all places I'd always wanted to go if I'd had friends. And it looks like my dream came true."

"I'm so glad," Qrrog said. "At least somethin' came outta this."

"Well, I think we learned a lot, too," I said. "I'm proud of you. You've been really brave. All of you have."

"So have you," Qrrog said, mussing my hair.

"It sounds like you have been on quite the journey," Basch said. "I should like to hear about it."

"We'll tell you all about it at breakfast," I said. "It was pretty crazy."


End file.
